Luvsports,sorry missed that one, Booking for players taking their shirts off,one of the stupidest rules ever.
Obstruction has been rescinded, many years ago. It is no longer an indirect free kick, but a direct one for pushing because it involves body contact. Shielding is perfectly legal if you are deemed to possess the ball, ie it is within a distance where you can theoretically control it (about one yard). What galls me is that clear obstruction is rarely given when the ball is far away from the player and his sole intention is to block. I remember causing mayhem on a Sunday morning by giving a penalty for exactly that. Think they complained higher, described the play, and got a rocket up their arses for wasting other people's time with their lack of knowledge
Your response ideally demonstrates the difference between footie and rugby and the people that follow those sports!
In theory it looks great, but the atmosphere at most rugby matches, apart from internationals, is dire. Also league matches at rugby can be very slow with quite large gaps in play, we don't want football going down that route. Above is for union, I have never been to a rugby league match, so can't comment.
Give out penalties for pushing, pulling and wrestling in the box on set plays. Dont allow ugly players on a pitch, eg Neville brothers, Tevez, Ferdinand.....ffs they are all scum or ex scum
Depends which Union match you go to XB. I'm sure the west country derbies between Gloucester and Bath or the London derbies between Wasps, Quins, and Sarries would rarely be described as dire.
I played union as a young lad for 9 yrs, but I prefer league and watch the Rhinos a lot(admittedly on TV mostly) so I don't really get your comment. Hating the scum is mandatory. When a bunch of rugby lads go out and wreck the place it's called hi jinks. when a football fan does it, it's called hooliganism. Money talks.......
Thanks for that, Sheldon. There are many, many examples of this blocking that seem to get completely ignored by referees these days. In fact, I don't ever recollect seeing it given, and by gawd, I've seem some absolutely reckless & brutal blocking over the years.
Cheers WJ. There was a very one in our game v Wednesday: Pearce, just after he had been cynically blocked before their third, just outside our box allowed the ball to go through to Paddy Kenny, looked at the onrushing SW forward, and cynically jumped in front about 5 yards from the ball. It was clear as daylight, and I was very surprised it was not given. But he would have got a second yellow, so I was (biasedly) happy it wasn't given, not that it would have made any difference. Those were two shocking decisions within the space of about 5 minutes, one against each team. Probert did not have a good day.
When we arrived at the hotel in Cardiff for the play off against Watford we were told we could not get into the rooms because the Munster fans from the game the night before were still drunk in them. End of, hard luck. If that had been us, the day after, what are the odds of a few vans full of riot police turning up and marching us out.
obstruction has been re classified as impedes the progress of an opponent (click on indirect free kick) the offence has not gone away, just that it is no longer penalised, same as pushing/pulling in the area, elbowing opponents and other types of offences that have crept into the game
Difference between impeding and shielding is that in the second case, the ball is within playing distance. Most often the offence is inconsequential as the impeded player had no chance of getting to the ball anyway or as pointed out above, a pushing foul is awarded when the players collide.
Players are even more stupid for knowing they will get booked and still do it! I can think of only 1 case where taking the shirt off was the appropriate thing to do. WWC 1999 in USA when the USA player scored the winning penalty kick! Who could blame her?
Impeding and obstruction are not the same. Obstruction always included physical contact and impeding. Physical contact is now direct free kick for pushing. Impeding has no physical contact and I do not know of one free kick ever given for it
Exactly Xbpod, myself and my son couldn't get any room on the day(don't think it was all the rugby crowds fault) and ended up staying in Birmingham, although the kebabs were nice. But you're right and I've been on one or two rugby sessions........
It is true one rarely sees an impeding decision. At the youth level, it occurs quite often here in the US but rarely has an impact as the impeded player does not have a chance to get to the ball anyway (a trifling offence, therefore not called). However, I do consciously look for it (I think it emanates from US sports practices) and when it does have an impact, I do call it, maybe 1 in 10 games.
Unsporting behaviour, if you please! If and when a decision is given, it would often lead to a card in the professional game. But shielding is legal if you are close enough to be deemed as being in possession of the ball - you may get annoyed with it, but it is no different from a player having the ball in the centre circle and holding the player off with his back while controlling the ball, then spinning and leaving the defender for dust. As happens often when we play others, and it is somethign our players seem inherentlky incapable of doing (close control while under pressure).
